The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-15
BISHOPS STRANGE. POWER
His Marvellous Performances of Mind
Reading Displayed Last Evening.
lie Reproduces Representations of Pictures,
Reads the Number of a Concealed Bank
Note and Does Other Strange Things.

The Grand Opera-house comfortably
filled with the most intellectual people of the
city, last night, to witness Washington Irving
Bishops exhibition of what is termed mind
reading" Mr. Bishop is rather a young man in
years, and decidedly dudish in appearance. He
is regarded as the most successful mind
reader upon the stage, and has given exhibit
tons in all parts of the world. Before beginning
his exhibition he stated that he claimed nothing.
He would simply give his experiments and the
people could take them for what they
worth. ''If they are but tricks" said he, you
will have to acknowledge that they are very
well done. You may term it what you
please. I call it mind-reading" At
his suggestion the audience selected the
following committee of well known gentlemen to
go upon the stage and assist him in the expert
ments: Prof. j. A. Coett. d. B. Shideler. Isaac
Thalman, DR.. Cunningham. Prof. J. N. Hurry,
Austin Fl. Brown. ". j. Craig and Harry S.
New. After the committee had taken their seats
upon the stage Mr. Bishop said: "By putting
myself in close proximity with any one of these
men can what he sees There is no limit
TO the power of thought in that direction His
first illustration was what he termed ''the mock
assassination" He first performed it, he
said, before the Gar at ST. Peters
burg. He was blindfolded, and gave
Mr.. Brown dagger with instructions to
20 into the audience. pretend to thrust the knife
into some one, and after hiding it, return upon
the stage. Mr.. Brown followed the instructions
and hid the knife behind one of the curtains at
the door, after pretending to assassnate City
Librarian Hooper. When he returned upon the
II. l.
right hand in the palm of his left. and, after
moments hesitation, passed rapidly ahead of Dir.
Brown into the audience. first to Mr.. Hooper, over
whom the knife was fourshe6, and thence to
the curtain and drew it from the hiding place.
After returning to the stage he went again
with Mr.. Brown to Mr. Hooper and
went through exactly the same motions
Mr.. Brown did in pretending to stab him. His
second experiment was to discover stolen goods.
Professor Hurry went into the audience and col
lected three small articles, which he wrapped in
piece of paper and secreted in globe on
chandelier in one of the proscenium boxes. Mr..
Bishop took him by the hand as with Mr..
Brown and went directly to the box, where he
had wearisome hunt for the articles. He
finally procured chair. and found them where
they had been placed. His next object to
return the articles to their owners. and
after fifteen minutes trial he acknowledged
he could not succeed with Mr. Hurry,
who he claimed, was not keeping his mind
intently upon the persons to whom the articles
belonged. The persons TO whom the articles
belonged were pointed out to d. b. Sheidler,
and when he went with Mr.. Bishop they
found without trouble. For the third expert
ment ne had W. j. Craig to write upon slip of
paper name of prominent person, which was
sealed in an envelope. and he then went with
Mr. Craig and found Ross Clark, the person in
the mind Of Mr. Craig. The audience were
unable to see what reference the writing had to
the experiment, when he did not attempt to
give the name, and A. w. Brayton ventured to
l. 49, I'D hel11
lengthy controversy with the performer.
There were several other exhibitions of like
nature in which persons and articles were found
with no difficulty, when DR.. Brayton again in
terrupted, claiming that the experiments We're
due to muscle reading" and not to mind read
ing. ''To convince you that / have ability to
interpret thought, said Mr. Bishop. Il will
have Mr.. Shideer place bank bill in an envel
ope, and l will tell the number Of it. What
greater lest do you wantl"
The bill put into the envelope. and the
number of it, 532. 634, was correctly interpreted
by the mind-reader and written upon the
blackboard AS concluding test, Mr. Bishop
had a member of the COMMITTEES select four per-
sons from the audience. bring them to the stage
and there arrange them in fanciful positions. as
sort of tabeau vivant, using such articles of
furniture were to be found on the stage.
Messrs. II. c. Diehl Morris Ross Stanley Igoe
and Dr. C. ]. Fletcher were brought
on the stage while Mr.. Bishop
under guard of the rest of the
Coiuuiiltco III suEcSSiiS rooib. lEoo Was plaCc1
in a reclining position on the sofa, Dr. Fletcher
kneeling at his side, his left under Ieoes
head his right hand graspiug Igoes right wrist.
Mr.. Ross was seated In chair. half front to the
audience, arm over the back of his chair,
the other resting on his knee, and Mr.. Diehl in
somewhat similar position at the other side of
the stage. The four gentlemen were then
turned to their seats in the audience,
the furniture restored to its original
position. and Mr. Bishop conducted
to the stage blndfoldsd, after which he success
| fully selected the gentlemen chosen By the COM
mitteman and the tableau reproduced which
| concluded tia performance. Tonight Mr..
| Bishop will give second entertainment, and
| promises to explain chow he does it." Whether
| it be m:nd-reading, muscle reading what not
| the performances are. to say the least, remarka
hlR